MINORITIES IN DELHI (RELIGIOUS MINORITIES)

Submitted to

Centre for Civil Society

By

BASIL POULOSE

Working Paper No 217 Summer Research Internship 2009

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am indeed honoured to do my Summer Internship with CCS and I am grateful to Dr. Parth J Shah for giving me this opportunity and assigning ‘Minorities’ as my research topic. I am grateful to the authorities in the DMC for helping me with my project. I am also thankful to Mrs Chacko who helped me in getting information from the JNU library and also to Mrs Swati, my research guide for the project. I also thank Mr. Amit Chandra who gave me the initial push in the project.

ABSTRACT

The first project which I did with CCS was on the minorities in the capital state. Basically I dealt with the various religious minorities in Delhi, some of the major problems they face and how the government and various agencies cater to them. In the next section I focus on the activities, organizational structure, and various organizational problems faced by the Delhi Minority Commission- the prime body which take cares of all minority groups in Delhi. The second part of my research throws some light on the Prime Minister’s new 15 point programme that was initiated in 2006 and how some of its important aspects are still not implemented in the capital city of the country. I have also given a glimpse into the Minority Ministry affairs ministry and the 3 main educational schemes which it initiates for the minorities all over the country and its share in Delhi. In the end I focus on 2 main minority agencies - the Delhi Waqf board and the Delhi State Haj committee with an insight into their organisational structures and some of the major organisational problems in these agencies which has an adverse effect on the religious minorities especially the Muslims. The paper ends with some basic recommendations for the DMC, the apex body for the minorities in the capital, so that it can include more participation and be citizen friendly. According to the Indian Government Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhist and Jains are the religious minorities in our country. My study focuses on the problems faced by the main 3 religious minorities in Delhi.

CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 WHO ARE MINORITIES 1.2 WHO ARE RELIGIOUS MINORITIES 1.3 MINORITY RIGHTS 1.4 DISTRIBUTION OF MINORITIES IN DELHI.

2. RELIGIOUS MINORITIES 2.1 MUSLIM COMMUNITY (problems faced and solutions)

2.2 CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY (problems faced and solutions) 2.3 SIKH COMMUNITY (problems faced and solutions) 3. DELHI MINORITY COMMMISION (DMC) 3.1 STRUCTURE 3.2 BASIC AIM AND DUTY 3.3 SCHEMES AND PROGRAMMES

4. MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

4.1 STRUCTURE 4.2 AIM AND DUTY

4.3 SCHEMES AND PROGRAMMES (for Delhi state) 4.4 STUDY ON PRIME MINISTER’S NEW 15 POINT PROGRAMME

5. MINORITY AGENCIES

DELHI HAJ COMMITTEE( structure, working, major activities) 5.2 WAKF BOARD (structure, working, major activities)

6. CONCLUSIONS

FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS

INTRODUCTION A minority is a sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant voting majority of the total population of a given society. A sociological minority is not necessarily a numerical minority — it may include any group that is subnormal with respect to a dominant group in terms of social status, education, employment, wealth and political power. To avoid confusion, some writers prefer the terms "subordinate group" and "dominant group" rather than "minority" and "majority", respectively. In socioeconomics, the term "minority" typically refers to a socially subordination ethnic group (understood in terms of language, nationality, religion and/or culture). Other minority groups include people with disabilities, "economic minorities" (working poor or unemployed), "age minorities" (who are younger or older than a typical working age) and sexual minorities. The term "minority group" often occurs alongside a discourse of civil rights and collective rights which gained prominence in the 20th century. Members of minority groups are prone to different treatment in the countries and societies in which they live. This discrimination may be directly based on an individual's perceived membership of a minority group, without consideration of that individual's personal achievement. It may also occur indirectly, due to social structures that are not equally accessible to all. Activists campaigning on a range of issues may use the language of minority rights, including student rights, consumer rights and animal rights. In recent years, some members of social groups traditionally perceived as dominant have attempted to present themselves as an oppressed minority, such as white, middle-class heterosexual males. Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) have been notified as minority communities under Section 2 (c).Minorities in the country is about 18.4% of the total population of the country, Of which Muslims are 13.4%; Christians 2.3%; Sikhs 1.9%, Buddhists 0.8%and Parsis 0.007%.

VARIOUS RELIGIOUS MINORITES

Muslims Muslims constitute the second largest religious group in India and are thus the largest minority. The 2001 census enumerated India's Muslim population at over 138 million, and by 2006 the Muslim population would be over 150 million. India's Muslim population is amongst the largest in the world, exceeded only by Indonesia's and close to the Muslim populations of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Moreover, it is larger than the total populations of most countries of the world. India is considered an overpopulated country and India's population policy seeks to achieve replacement level fertility by 2010. The Muslims are the majorities among the minorities, which means Muslims constitute a large part of the minority community both in India and in Delhi. Going through various researches and surveys its prominently seen that education is one of the most lacking aspect in the Muslim community. Its because of this that after so many years after independence the community lacks in major fields in the country even though they constitute the second largest group in the population. Major problems

1. Muslims are behind other religious communities in the area of literacy and education, industrial promotion and economic pursuits. They lack technical and vocational education as well as training in trades in demand.

2. The village and districts having concentration of Muslim populations often lack markets for their products.

3. The Muslims in Delhi are not able to avail of the facilities of Wakf resources in the absence of proper management. Only 2.3% rate is been returned by the registered 4.9 lakh wakfs in India. 4. The work participation rate among Muslim women is found to be low affecting the quality of their life.

On surveying and on reviewing people’s view these are some of my suggestions:

7. A district wise Muslim Minority Development Board should be created with adequate representation of the Muslim community which should oversee the implementation of welfare projects aimed at improving the educational and economic status of Muslims like providing training for entrepreneurship, advancing interest free loans for Muslims entrepreneurs, marketing of products of artisans, waving taxes for at least 5 yrs for new industries set up by Muslims, creating infrastructure like water, sewage system, electricity, dispensary, schools, roads, banks etc.

8. The Delhi govt with the help of the Delhi Minority Commission should

identify key areas of development like education, industrial development, and special project should be formulated and implemented within a particular frame work for the socio economic development of the Muslim community.

9. Modernisation of madrasa should be carried out at a fast rate.

CHRISTIANS The Christians constitute about 2.3% of the total Indian population, in which 34% are urbanresidents. Christians have a higher literacy level (80%) as compared to other religious minorities and above national literacy rate of 65%. They are generally engaged in service sector except in some states. Christians are more concerned about health and have better level of wellbeing. The Christians have the highest per capita income and per capita expenditure among the minorities. Unemployment among Christian community is also significantly lower than amongst Muslims and Sikhs. Though Christianity does not recognize a caste system, nonetheless caste system is practiced among Christians in large parts of the country. Christians in Delhi are a very small section of minorities, according to the survey done by the Indian Social Institute these are the figures: State/UT Total

population Christian population

Proportion of Christians in the population

Sex ratio

Delhi 13,850,507 130,319 0.9% 1076

By talking to various religious heads in the city the below listed were put forth as the major problems for the Christian community:

Christian being very less in number are neglected by both the state and the Delhi Minority Commission. But with the help of individual organizations associated with the churches the socio-economic conditions of the community is taken care of.

Another issue is the allocation of land for religious constructions. Its well seen that due to the lack of institutional land in the city the DDA is very strict in land allocation, and according to Rev Fr. Dominic Immanuel, the Catholic representative, the DDA should allocate land on the basis of their need. According to him the Christian community comes in large numbers and have a tradition of congregational worship so the need for larger land is there. Although this issue has been raised a number of times in the DDA but yet no consideration has been shown.

Another important problem is lack of burial grounds in Delhi. Presently there are 3 main cemeteries in Delhi- one in Paharganj, another at Prithviraj road and the war cemetery near Dhaula Kuan. But the major problem is the lack of space in these cemeteries. Discussions are going on for the procurement of more lands for burials which is nearly impossible in Delhi due to lack of land in the city.

One of the alternatives would be the installation of cell like structure inside the cemeteries to accommodate more and more dead bodies within a less space. This cell structure is very well working in many southern states especially in all parts of Kerala.

Due to the lack of land in Delhi this would be an apt solution to the existing problem of lack of burial grounds

A major problem is also faced by the recognised minority institutions. Even though they are given the minority status, no rules and policy consideration has been given to them and these institutions, especially schools, are considered same as other public schools.

SIKHS Sikhism is a monotheistic faith which was founded in the 15th century in the region of Punjab, northwest India. It is recognized as the youngest of world religions. The Sikh religion today has a following of over 20 million people worldwide and is ranked as the world’s fifth largest religion.

One of the major problem faced by the Sikh community in Delhi is the declining sex ratio in the community. It is especially high in a particular section of the community called the jatedars.

Some of the suggestions to support the girl child would be to implement the medical scheme in government hospitals and financial support for girl child in primary and secondary level education.

Another major problem is rehabilitation of riot victims of 1984; the government hasn’t yet made arrangements for the rehabilitation of or compensation to the riot victims.

THE DELHI MINORITY COMMMISION.

Delhi Minorities Commission( DMC) was set in 2000 by Govt. of N.C.T of Delhi to safeguard the rights and interest of Minority communities in N.C.T of Delhi. DMC is administratively under the control of Home department of GNCTD. Constitution of the present Commission came into effect from 01/10/2003 with Prof. Abu Baker as Chairman, Rev. Valson Thampu and Mr. P.S. Bawa as Members representing Muslim, Christian and Sikh Communities respectively. Mr. Valson Thampu formed part of the previous Commission also as member, with Mr. Zafar Ali Naqvi as Chairman and Mr. Navin Pal Singh Bhandari as Member from 20/05/2000 to 19/05/2003. Revd. Valson Thampu has since resigned w.e.f 6/12/2004 and Shri Arnold James who was nominated as a part time Member in place of Rev Valson Thampu joined the Commission w.e.f 18/03/2005.

The Delhi Minorities Commission was set up under the Delhi Minorities Commission Act,1999 passed by the Delhi Legislative Assembly on 24.12.99. The notified Minority Communities, as per the Act, are Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis. The Commission consists of a Chairman and two Members from the Minority Communities of Delhi nominated by the Govt. of NCT of Delhi.

MISSION

To safeguard the rights and interests, as provided in the Constitution of India of religious minorities in the National Capital Territories of Delhi.

FUNCTIONS FUNCTIONS Examine the working of the various safeguards provided in the Constitution of India or laws enacted by Parliament and the laws passed by the Legislative Assembly of Delhi for the protection of the Minority Communities, and to make recommendations to ensure their effective implementation.

Monitor the implementation of the policies and schemes of the Government for the welfare of Minority Communities.

Assess the representation of Minority communities in the services of the Government, semi-Government bodies and Govt. Undertakings, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Development Authority, New Delhi Municipal Council, other local authorities and in case of inadequate representation , to recommend remedial measures.

Look into specific complaints regarding the deprivation of the rights and safeguards of the Minority Communities and to take up such matters with the appropriate authorities for necessary action.

Conduct studies, research, and analysis in order to make recommendations to promote socio-economic upliftment of Minority Communities and hold seminars, debates, discussions etc. on the problems affecting the Minority Communities in Delhi.

PROGRAMME WELFARE ACTIVITIES

The Commission can monitor the various welfare activities undertaken by the Govt. department in respect of minority communities like maternal and child health under primary health care scheme undertaken by MCD, Education, grant of minority status to the educational institutions run by the minority community.

Economic upliftment through income generation activities. Grant of loans for self employment to people of minority communities by Delhi Schedules Caste/Scheduled Tribe and Minorities Financial Development Corporation. Govt.of Delhi.

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

Research studies would be conducted to make recommendations to the Government and monitor and evaluate the various schemes of the different Govt. agencies for effective service delivery, and filling up of gaps in implementation.

SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

The Commission also envisages conducting workshops and seminars on issues pertaining to minorities.

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS CREATION ON VARIOUS ISSUES

Education and awareness creation on issues pertaining to the welfare/interest of the minorities, as the means of empowerment along with promotion of communal harmony through Quami Ekta Sessions throughout the Union Territory.

VARIOUS SCHEMES AND PROGRAMMES

The Delhi minority commission department has been computerized, a website has been created, a citizen charter has been prepared and also various communities’ surveys have been conducted.

The commission empanelled with 4 mother NGO’s and 9 field NGO’s in an effort to disseminate information about the mandate and the activities of the commission to the common minority population.

The Delhi minority commission organizes Jan sunvais for the welfare of the minorities among the various localities in the capital. The commission goes into these local minorities to hear their grievances. (Defaults. Only a few Jan sunvais have been taken place around 20 of them in the past so many yrs. And importantly no follow up action have been taken place after these meetings. So no scope of reforms and progress.)

Another important launch of the Delhi minority commission was ‘the Delhi minorities’ commission at your door step’ on 17th june2007. 1st programme was held at fateh puri Masjid. And many such meetings were organized at various other localities.

The Delhi minority commission also sanctioned grants to DCVS, Allama Rafiq Trust and GDS society the empanelled organizations for imparting free of cost computer and other skill development training to the minority beneficiaries for their socio-economic empowerment their by fulfilling the objectives of the ‘ prime minister 15 point program for the welfare of minorities’

Survey of how many number of madrasas present in Delhi and plans for their modernisation have been another important task taken up by the DMC.

(Defaults. A. but the real picture received after my research is that till date t he condition of 90% madrasas are pathetic and no proper management has been taken place and programmes like installing computers etc are not carried out to its fullest.)

Another important and the most striking feature I noticed is that Delhi doesn’t have a separate department for the minorities in Delhi. Although the Delhi Minority commission is the body which takes care of it, its well understood that the Delhi Minority commission has very limited authority and is just a representative body of the minorities, and has to follow the central government minority affairs ministry. So in my research I came to know that due to these reasons the commission is not at all accountable to the general public and vice versa.

Another important work done by the commission is that individual members who are the representative of different communities hold meetings and discussions with the various heads of their community, and bring out programmes and welfare activities for that particular community.

MINOTIY AFFAIRS MINISTRTY

ORGANIZATIONAL SETUP

The Ministry of Minority Affairs was created on 29

th January, 2006. The Ministry

is the nodal agency for formulation of policies and programmes and overall co-ordination of all activities for the welfare of minorities. Functions of the Commission: The main functions of the Commission are to evaluate the progress of the development of minorities, monitor the working of the safeguards provided in the Constitution and in laws enacted by the Central Government/State Governments for the protection of the interests of minorities and look into specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights of the minorities. It also initiates studies, research and analysis to be undertaken on the issues relating to the socio-economic and educational development of minorities and make recommendations for the effective implementation of the safeguards for the protection of the interests of minorities.

Composition of the Commission The Commission consists of Chairman, Vice-Chairman and five Members to be nominated by the Central Government State Minorities Commissions Thirteen State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have set up statutory State Minorities Commissions. The State Governments of Manipur and Uttarakhand have set up non-statutory Commissions. The Ministry has also requested the remaining State Governments/Union Territory Administrations to set up such Commissions. The subjects allocated to this Ministry under the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961 are listed below:

Overall policy, planning, coordination, evaluation and review of the regulatory and developmental programmes of the minority communities. All matters relating to the minority communities except matters relating to law and order. Policy initiatives for protection of minorities and their security in consultation with other Central Government Ministries and State Governments. Matters relating to linguistic minorities and of the office of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities. Matters relating to the National Commission for Minorities Act. Work relating to the evacuee Wakf properties under the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950 (31 of 1950) (since repealed). Representation of the Anglo-Indian Community. Protection and preservation of non-Muslim shrines in Pakistan and Muslim shrines in India in terms of the Pant-Mirza Agreement of 1955, in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs. Questions relating to the minority communities in neighbouring Countries, in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs.

The ministry of minority affairs ministry under the central government does provide a no. of schemes to all states and union territories of India.

VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL SCHEMES

1. PRE MATRIC SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME. This scholarship is awarded for studies in India in a government or private school from class I to class X, including such residential Government institutes and eligible private institutes selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government and Union Territory Administration concerned. Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) can avail for this scholarship. Scholarship will be awarded to the students who have secured not less than 50% marks in the previous final examination and annual income of their parents/guardian from all sources does not exceed Rs. 1 lakh. 30% of scholarship will be earmarked for girl students Pre-matric scholarships sanctioned for 2008-09

S.No. State/UT No. of scholarships

Amount released (in Rs.)

01 Delhi 6918 71,47,940

Total ( all states) 512657 622081317

2. POST MATRIC SCHOALRSHIP SCHEME This scheme is part of the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme for the welfare of minorities announced in June 2006. OBJECTIVE The objective of the scheme is to award scholarships to meritorious students belonging to economically weaker sections of minority community so as to provide them better opportunities for higher education increase their rate of attainment in higher education and enhance their employability ELIGIBILITY Scholarship will be awarded to the students who have secured not less than 50% marks or equivalent grade in the previous final examination and the annual income of whose parents/guardian from all sources does not exceed Rs.2 lakh. DISTRIBUTION Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) can avail this scholarship. The scholarship is to be awarded for studies in India in a government or private higher secondary school/college/university, including such residential institutes of the Government and eligible private institutes selected and notified in a transparent manner by the State Government/Union Territory Administration concerned. It will also cover technical and vocational courses in Industrial Training Institutes/ Industrial Training Centres affiliated with the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) of classes XI and XII level. 30% of scholarship will be earmarked for girl students. POST MATRIC SCHOLARSHIP SANCTIONEDFOR 2008 – 2009 S.NO STATE/UT TOTAL AMOUNT SANCTIONED (IN RS)

3. COACHING SCHEME OBJECTIVES The objectives of the scheme are to assist students belonging to the minority communities by way of special coaching for the following:-

a) Qualifying examinations for admission in technical/ professional courses such as engineering, law, medical, management, information technology etc. and language/aptitude examinations for seeking admission to foreign universities.

b) Competitive examinations for recruitment to Group ‘A’ , ‘B’ , ‘C’ and ‘D’

services and other equivalent posts under the Central and State governments including police/security forces, public sector undertakings, Railways, banks, insurance companies as well as autonomous bodies; and

c) Coaching/training for jobs in the private sector such as in airlines, shipping,

fisheries, information technology (IT), business process outsourcing (BPO) and other IT enabled services, hospitality, tours and travels, maritime, food processing, retail, sales and marketing, bio-technology and other job oriented courses as per the emerging trend of employment. The committee at para 4 (iv) will shortlist the job-oriented training courses for employment in the private sector provided that the duration does not exceed nine months which may be relaxed upto 12 months.

d) Remedial coaching for technical & professional courses at undergraduate

and post graduate level to improve academic knowledge and enable the student to catch up with the rest of the class and complete the course successfully. The remedial coaching will be imparted by the institute where the student is admitted to pursue technical/professional course at under graduate or post graduate level.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR CANDIDATES/STUDENTS

Candidates must have secured the requisite percentage of marks in the qualifying examination prescribed for admission into the desired courses/recruitment examinations.

Only candidates belonging to the minority communities, having total family income from all sources not exceeding Rs.2.50 lakh per annum, will be eligible under the scheme.

Benefits of coaching/training under the scheme can be availed by a particular student once only, irrespective of the number of chances he/she may be entitled to in a particular competitive examination. The coaching/training institution will be required to take an affidavit from the student that he/she has not taken any benefit under this scheme earlier.

4. MERIT-CUM-MEANS SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME Objective The objective of the Scheme is to provide financial assistance to the poor and meritorious students belonging to minority communities to enable them to pursue professional and technical courses. Scope: These scholarships are available for studies in India only and will be awarded through an Agency designated by the State Government/UT Administration for this purpose.

Number of scholarships Available: Every year 20,000 scholarships are distributed among the students of minority communities throughout the country. Based on the state-wise population of these communities, the distribution of scholarship will happen.

Conditions for Scholarship:

Students who get admission in technical/professional courses without facing any competitive examination will also be eligible for scholarship. However, such students should have not less than 50% marks at higher secondary/graduation level. Selection of these students will be done strictly on merit basis.

The annual income of the beneficiary/parent or guardian of beneficiary should not exceed Rs.2.50 lakh from all sources.

30% scholarship will be reserved for girls of each minority community

MERIT-CUM-MEANSSCHOLARSHIP SANCTIONED (08-09)

S.NO

STATE/UT RENEWAL(NO. OF SCHOLARSHIPS SANCTIONED)

FRESH TOTAL AMOUNT (IN RS)

1.

2.

DELHI

TOTAL

75

8660

247

17535

322

26195

6543940

64730487

PRIME MINISTER’S NEW POINT PROGRAMME In May 1983, the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi issued a 15 point Directive on welfare of minorities. The 15 point programme for Minorities, focused on priority areas such as:

Need to tackle the situation arising out of communal riots and preventing further communal riots Ensure adequate representation of minority communities in employment under state and central sectors. Ensure flow of benefits to the minority community under various developmental programmes such as maintenance and development of religious places, wakf properties and redressal of grievances of the minorities. Steps taken to encourage the starting of coaching classes in minority educational institutions to train persons to compete successfully in these examinations. Steps taken for acquisition of technical skills by minorities who are lagging behind.

It was interesting to note that this historic point programme was carried out very well by all the states and by the central government. In the nation’s capital where the anti-Sikh communal riots broke out this point programme played an important role in curbing violence and in making the citizens of India and Delhi understand that the minorities should be taken care of. That was the period when the importance and protection of the minorities were taken care of seriously and that has continued all through the years. In 2006 under the UPA government this point programme was reviewed and the new ‘Prime Ministers 15 point programme’ was brought out. The following is the Prime Ministers New 15 point programme 1. Enhancing opportunities for Education 2. Equitable availability of ICDS Services – The ICDS schemes is aimed at development of poor children and pregnant/lacting mothers of disadvantages sections, by providing various services like health chekup, immunization , pre school education etc. these schemes are aimed at those rural areas where minorities are large nos, in delhi areas like sangam vihar etc are aimed by this scheme.

3. Improving access to School Education - this is a important initiative were Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme, and other similar Government schemes, it was ensured that a certain percentage of all such schools are located in villages/localities having a substantial population of minority communities. 4. Greater resources for teaching Urdu - Central assistance was provided for recruitment and posting of Urdu language teachers in primary and upper primary schools that serve a population in which at least one-fourth belong to that language group. and lso the Delhi Minority commission also in association with the Urdu academy is also taking initiative in spreading the language and also various measures like appointment of part time urdu teachers in primary education has been taken place. 5. Modernizing Madarsa Education The Central Plan Scheme of Area Intensive and Madarsa Modernization Programme provides basic educational infrastructure in areas of concentration of educationally backward minorities and resources for the modernization of Madarsa education. Keeping in view the importance of addressing this need, this programme will be substantially strengthened and implemented effectively. But its shocking to see that in delhi were there 6. Scholarships for meritorious students from minority communities Schemes for pre-matric and post- matric scholarships for students from minority communities was formulated and implemented. These scheme were very useful in providing better educational opportunities to the students of the minority section. 7. Improving educational infrastructure through the Maulana Azad Education Foundation - The Government will provide all possible assistance to Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF) to strengthen and enable it to expand its activities more effectively and more citizen friendly. 8. Self-Employment and Wage Employment for the poor- The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY), the primary self-employment programme for rural areas, has the objective of bringing assisted poor rural families above the poverty line by providing them income generating assets through a mix of bank credit and Governmental subsidy. A certain percentage of the physical and financial targets under the SGSY will be earmarked for beneficiaries belonging to the minority communities living below the poverty line in rural areas. The Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY) consists of two major components namely, the Urban Self-Employment Programme (USEP) and the Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP). A certain percentage of the physical and financial targets under USEP and UWEP will be earmarked to benefit people below the poverty line from the minority communities.

The Sampurna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) is aimed at providing additional wage employment in rural areas alongside the creation of durable community, social and economic infrastructure. Since the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) has been launched in 200 districts, and SGRY has been merged with NREGP in these districts, in the remaining districts, a certain percentage of the allocation under SGRY will be earmarked for beneficiaries belonging to the minority communities living below the poverty line till these districts are taken up under NREGP. Simultaneously, a certain percentage of the allocation will be earmarked for the creation of infrastructure in such villages, which have a substantial population of minorities. 9. Upgradation of skills through technical training- A very large proportion of the population of minority communities is engaged in low-level technical work or earns its living as handicraftsmen. Provision of technical training to such people would upgrade their skills and earning capability. Therefore, a certain proportion of all new ITIs will be located in areas predominantly inhabited by minority communities and a proportion of existing ITIs to be upgraded to ‘Centres of Excellence’ will be selected on the same basis. 10. Enhanced credit support for economic activities 11. Recruitment to State and Central Services- In the recruitment of police personnel, State Governments will be advised to give special consideration to minorities. For this purpose, the composition of selection committees should be representative. The Central Government will take similar action in the recruitment of personnel to the Central police forces. Large scale employment opportunities are provided by the Railways, nationalized banks and public sector enterprises. In these cases also, the concerned departments will ensure that special consideration is given to recruitment from minority communities. An exclusive scheme will be launched for candidates belonging to minority communities to provide coaching in government institutions as well as private coaching institutes with credibility. 12. Equitable share in rural housing scheme 13. Improvement in condition of slums inhabited by minority communities-Under the schemes of Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) and Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Central Government provides assistance to States/UTs for development of urban slums through provision of physical amenities and basic services. It would be ensured that the benefits of these programmes flow equitably to members of the minority communities and to cities/slums, predominantly inhabited by minority communities.

14. Prevention of communal incidents 15. Prosecution for communal offences 16. Rehabilitation of victims of communal riots

DELHI WAKF BOARD The concept of Waqf is rooted to the Quranic injunctions, which deal with charity. Literally, the waqf means endowment of moveable or Immovable property dedicated to God by the Muslims for the welfare of needy and poor. The Waqif (settler) in his deed appoints Mutawalli (Manager) for the administration of the Waqf. The Waqif has the right either to appoint himself or any Muslim as Mutawalli. The Waqf Board is established in the state to supervise and Maintain the Muslim properties like mosques, madrasas, tombs, Graveyards and orphanages. It provides financial aid to widows, students and destitute. It fights legal disputes for all Waqf property and the rent received by renting out these properties is distributed to the needy and poor. The Board retains 33 percent of the rent received by renting out properties and rest goes in the maintenance of the property. It has the power to revise the rates accordingly. The Waqf Board also gives one percent of the rent collected to the Central Waqf Board as a part of the financial obligation towards the central authroity. Organizational Structure and Legislations The Department of Waqf, Government of India is responsible for supervising 3 lac Waqf (properties) in India. The apex body is the Central Waqf Council consisting of 20 members from a cross section of eminent personalities that include representatives of Muslim organizations, Members of Parliament, chairpersons of Waqf Boards, former judges of Supreme Court and High Courts, Mutwallis, eminent scholars in Muslim Law and persons having experience in administration. Under this, there are different State Waqf boards that work in different states. A Chairman, assisted by seven honorary board members, Chief Executive Office, Secretary and Assistant Secretary, heads the Delhi Waqf Board. There are other administrative staffs like superintendent, Legal officers and clerk. State Area (acre) No.of

properties Total current income of all property

Delhi India

152 572052

1977 490021

67 16290

Major Problems 1. Lack of proper management due to inadequate empowerment of state wakf board. 2. The Delhi wakf board is in charge of maintaining the various wakf properties in the capital and to incur money from these properties to provide aid for various purposes but the major problem seen is that due to negligence and mismanagement the economic value which is around 6000 crs of the wakf properties in Delhi are not tapped and only a mere 2% return is provided by these wakf properties. So if you see the proper management by the wakf members of all the properties and if this huge economic value is tapped then major problem like modernizations of madrasa can be solved. DELHI STATE HAJ COMMITTEE Haj Committees were established in India to facilitate the process of going for Haj. The Haj Committee was first formed in Mumbai in 1927. The Port Haj Committees Act, 1932 was passed to establish Haj committees in the principal ports of pilgrim traffic and assist the Muslim pilgrims to Hedjaz. It envisaged the constitution of Port Haj Committee,Calcutta and Port Haj Committee, Bombay. With increase in the number of pilgrims and embarkation points, it was felt to diversify the management of Haj and have appropriate representation from all parts of the country in the Haj Committee of India. Accordingly, Haj Committee Act, 2002 was passed. According to Section 4(ii) of the Act, the whole country has been divided into six zones. Zone 1 comprises National Capital Territory of Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh. Organisational Structure The Delhi Government set up the Delhi State Haj Committee (DSHC) in 1983. The Chapter III of the Haj Committee Act, 2002 states the composition of the State Haj Committees under the Central Haj Committee located in Mumbai. The Delhi Government is responsible for constituting the Delhi State Haj Committee. According to the Act, the State Committee shall be a body corporate, having perpetual succession, to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both movable and immovable, create a charitable trust or endowment, and to contract. The Committee should consist of 16 members who are nominated by the state

government. This would include - 3 Muslim Members of Parliament of the State, State Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council - 3 members representing local bodies in the state - 3 members having expertise in Muslim theology and law including one who shall be a Shia Muslim Various problems faced

The Delhi State Haj committee does not have a proper infrastructure and setup therefore they act merely as a travel agent to the public. Even though the central Haj committee fix the rate to go for Haj, illegally extra amount is taken from those who avail of the facility According to the rules, the haj committee should provide the expense incurred by the people who go for Haj from their state to the exit point from the country, but many times this does not happen. Another shocking experience was the level of corruption in the Haj committee. The workers there also accept the fact that corruption exists there. Another problem is the less no of seats for Haj from Delhi. Due to this problem the authorities charge more from the people going for Haj.

FINDINGS The following are the conclusions that I made from the study:

It’s indeed worth to notice the amount of help the central and the state government provide to the minorities in Delhi in various forms like schemes, financial support and by setting up state organization like the Delhi minority commission to safe guard the rights and to protect the minorities in the state. But the major point lacking is the amount of awareness persistent among the common public. Even though there are a number of schemes available’ only a small section of people are aware of it.

Another thing I noticed is that even though in Delhi we have the Delhi minority commission responsible for the welfare of minorities in Delhi but it

only acts as a representative organization and has no right to act on its own but only acts acceding to the Ministry of minority affairs.

Another important thing I noticed in the minority commission is that being representative body its has representative members from Christian, Sikh and Muslim community but its really shocking to find out that even though the Indian constitution acknowledges parsi and Buddhists as minority community no representation of these groups are seen in the Delhi minority commission.

Another important thing which struck me is that in a conversation with an high official about the future plans of the commission I came to know that their main focus is on the education of Muslims. Another answer for the question that what should the newly elected UPA government should do for the Muslims I got was that they should focus on Muslim education and development of the waqf board. This shows that there is bias amongst the authorities in dealing with the different minority groups. And this leads to the development of one section at the sake of the other.

RECOMMENDATION

One of the major recommendations from my study would be the inclusion of Buddhists, Parsis and the Jains in the minority commission. Equal treatment of all minorities in the Delhi minority commission irrespective of their problems, their number etc. More authoritative responsibilities to entrusted with the DMC to function better and fruitfully for the minorities in Delhi. Awareness is the most important thing lacking in the public in the capital. Therefore the minority ministry and the DMC should carry out awareness programmes making them aware of their rights and incentives given to them.

Another suggestion would be to open up the DMC library for the general public.

REFERENCES

1. www.delhiminoritycommision.com 2. www.minorityministri.nic.in 3. www.tribune.com 4.www.wakfboard.com 5. www.milligazzette.com 6. www,islamicvoice.com 7. Government of NCT Delhi 2006 8. Government of NCT Delhi 2007 9. Upadya,R 2004. wakf – under sustained controversy in India? 10. interpretations of interviews.